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Anonymous said...
I currently self identify as a drag king. To me, that means that I mainly identify as female, and normally am on the slightly butcher side of the female spectrum. However, I have a masculine facet to my identity that is expressed when I do drag. I use the term drag king because I am much more outgoing in drag and see myself getting into some type of drag performance when I'm older, but I'm not currently involved in any kid of drag performance, except for the occasional male role in the school play. I also sometimes will describe myself as a cross dresser, but that doesn't seem as applicable to my identity as drag king. Sometimes I'll also use the term gender fluid, because there are some days where I feel more feminine and others where I feel more androgynous or masculine. Another term I use a lot for my gender is just queer or queer femme, because I'm mostly female identified, but there are other aspects to my gender identity, and queer is the easiest way to explain both that and my orientation. I feel like drag king also covers how my masculine side is a facet of my identity, but isn't necessarily how I present myself on a day to day basis. With all that being said, I am fairly young, and I'm still on the journey of really finding what feels right to me gender wise.
Also thank you for mentioning drag kings. I feel like a lot of the time people only think about drag as being men dressing as women, whereas there's us women dressing as men, too.
June 20, 2012 at 10:40 PM

Monday, July 28, 2014

"I have no deep personal attachment to labeling myself in terms of sexual orientation, nor do I have the sensation of "being" heterosexual or homosexual or anything but a human being who loves and desires other human beings. I have been romantically and sexually involved with people of a variety of biological sexes and social genders over the course of my adult life. When pressed, I am most likely to declare my "sexual identity" as "taken.""

Friday, July 25, 2014

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Shunned by everyone she knows, Quinn loses her friends, her reputation, and her identity. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s a Marine who’s serving overseas, and beloved by everyone in their small, military town.

But Quinn didn’t cheat. She could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. So she stays silent, and she waits for Carey to come home.

Then Carey goes MIA, and Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

So this past weekend I did my Smashing Stereotypes workshop at the Los Angeles Models of Pride conference, the largest queer and allied youth conference ever - with over 1,100 young people attending, and separate tracks for parents and educators. My workshop went great - overflowing the seats available, and we all had a great shared experience.

It was an amazing day (I kept thinking how this would have rocked my world when I was a teen) - and at the lunchtime resource fair, I ran into a good friend:

One of my favorite quotes of the genderfork readers I didn't grab an in-focus photo of read:

"I decided that my gender is 'dragon.' I mean, it's 'technically' genderqueer but I have dubbed my own personal flavour as 'dragon.' Because dragons make everything better, are awesome, and come in a whole boatload of varieties." - Anonymous

I'm so happy to learn more about genderfork, and to share that info with you!

Four of the seven online dating sites profiled included men looking for men or women looking for women. And out of the nineteen people profiled and shown, seven were out and looking for their Lesbian, Gay or Bi special someone...

I'm certainly not looking (love you, husband!) but I keep thinking how this would have ROCKED MY WORLD as a teen. To see these people proudly looking for love - the kind of love I so deeply and secretly yearned for - and to have them presented as equals, indeed as among the "Sexiest Singles Alive!" is a powerful message celebrating our differences.

For using their platform to make our world a better place for LGBTQ people, I want to say:

Friday, July 18, 2014

As a defender for the Fraser High girls soccer team, biracial Addie used to be ready for anything. There was no play she couldn't shut down. But now the biggest threat on the field is one of her teammates . . . who is also Addie's former best friend. When Eva Riley moved to town, she and Addie became super close.

They even came out to each other, about liking girls... But when Eva wanted to be more than "just friends," Addie put soccer first instead.

Suddenly Eva's sending Addie mean notes. Then she's screwing up Addie's plays. After a while, Addie's not sure she even wants her friend back. She has to worry about other things--like keeping her spot on the team after Eva's latest act of sabotage.

This book is part of the author's six volume "Counterattack" series. Add your review of "Archenemy" in comments!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Join me as I continue the conversation with Benji, my gender-variant friend, as we dive into the issues of "presenting" - as cis or trans or other, and "passing" - being perceived as non-queer when you are queer. We even play with the lexicon, minting some new words to describe love:

Friday, July 11, 2014

It’s 1981, and Bryant thinks his move to New York will be the beginning of a new life. But the men he meets are being threatened by a mysterious illness. Could transforming into a Night Creature save him and his loved ones from certain death? Book Two of Immortal Testimonies travels back in time to the gay community’s darkest days.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Our gender-variant friend Lucy continues their discussion with me about gender - how should wait staff address someone gender queer? (And check out the metaphor we worked with Lucy's socks!)

Thanks, Lucy!

Namaste,
Lee

ps - Yes, on editing this I did notice that I said "waiter" rather than "wait-person" or "wait-staff,' or "server" (the last is the one I think sounds best.) It's a reminder that this is a process and a journey, and it's okay to occasionally mis-speak. Being aware of the gender-bias in our language is a huge step... and the more we discuss this, the better we'll all get at it. Thanks for watching!

"Folks" is a word I've been trying to work into my daily vocabulary more as a gender-neutral alternative to "guys." It's hard! But every time I slip, I notice and kick myself, which feels like progress.

This video makes me rethink how I address kids at the reference desk, though. Sometimes I do say, "Yes, ma'am" or "What can I do for you, sir?" I tend to do this when *I* feel certain of a child's gender... but it doesn't really matter what *I* feel is "certain," does it? I could still be wrong.

Thanks, as always, for the great food for thought.
September 28, 2011 at 6:12 AM

Cynthia Leitich Smith said...
I say "folks" all the time. I'm glad that's a good choice.

In the south/southwest, you can probably also say "y'all."

Incidentally, since moving to Austin, I've also taken to saying "honey" as a reference to someone's significant other. As in, "So how is your honey doing now that the cast is off?" I wouldn't tend to do it north of Oklahoma, though.

I love how this blog makes me think, and by the way, I really enjoyed the video sample of your presentation.
September 28, 2011 at 7:51 AM

Lee Wind said...
Thanks Lisa and Cynthia,
I'm working hard to eliminate "guys" as my go-to term, and I'm so glad these discussions with Lucy are resonating!

And Lisa, yes, I think that's a really important insight - it's not about how sure WE feel of someone's gender identity, it's really their call... One of the interviews coming up in the series is with a fascinating individual who presents as a very masculine man with a lumberjack-style beard - and yet the gender of their mind is female.

And Cynthia, thanks for the kind words about my presentation - I love doing them and helping move us all forward!

Namaste,
Lee
September 28, 2011 at 8:02 AM

Angie said...
It's funny, I learned to say "you guys" when I was a little girl -- preschool age -- playing with a group of other little girls. This was back in the sixties, and we called each other "you guys" all the time, and certainly didn't mean males. [ponder] "Folks" works fine, though, and I actually say that occasionally. I'll have to pay attention and use it more often.

With words like "waiter" and "actor" and such, I'm all for just ditching the -ess variant and calling everyone by the root. A waiter is someone who waits on you. And actor is someone who acts. We used to use "paintress" and "sculptress" for a female painter or sculptor, but now everyone is a painter or sculptor regardless of gender. The words don't contain the blatantly gendered "man" particle, so declare them neutral and use them.

You can do the same thing with words like "stewardess." Instead of stuffing "flight attendant" into your mouth, go back to the original "steward" and call everyone that, regardless of gender. There you go, back to two syllables.

Angie
September 28, 2011 at 4:03 PM

maddox said...
As a gender-variant person I don't particularly mind the use of neutral terms, which also happen to be masculine, like guys, waiter, actor, etc.

I *do* mind when people call me ma'am or sir or ladies, because *that* is a) purposefully gendering someone, and b) it is a completely unnecessary gendering. The server who says "what you would like to eat ma'am" as already gone out of their way to gender me, when it could just as easily (or more) have been avoided.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Nicola Jackson escapes from her abuser, only to realize she has no one to turn to and nowhere to go. In a twist of fate, she accidentally bumps into Jenny O’Connor, the most popular girl at school. They strike up an unlikely friendship. As their trust in each other develops, they share their darkest secrets, and their relationship blossoms into a secret romance.
Jenny loves Nicola, but she is fearful that if their secret relationship is discovered, she might lose her family, friends, and her seemingly perfect life.
Nicola confronts her abuser and blackmails him to leave for good, but things go terrifyingly wrong.
Jenny is left with a life-changing dilemma: should she face her fear and accept who she is, or let Nicola take the blame and pretend their relationship never happened?

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

From the rigid gender constructions of advertising to the blending of gender norms that my gender-queer friend Lucy found natural as a child, here are two stories that will make you think about gender:

About Me

Author. Blogger. Make-The-World-A-Better-Placer. Out to Empower LGBTQ Teens and their Allies. SCBWI 2015 Member of the Year. Represented by Danielle Smith of Lupine Grove Creative. All opinions expressed on this blog are solely my own.

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Please, be kind and patient with each other, with yourselves, and, well - with me. Thanks! Lee